Regulating-gate for water-wheels.



S. L. BERRY.

REGULATING GATE FOR WATER WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1911.

Patented May 7; 1912.

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SENECA LUCIEN BERRY, OF SUNNYVALE,

CALIFORNIA.

REGULATING-GATE FOR WATER-WHEELS.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, SENECA LUGIEN BERRY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sunnyvale, in the county of Santa Clara, State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRegulating- Gates for Water-Wheels, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of regulating gates for water wheelsin which the area of discharge is made to increase and decrease in orderto control the quantity of water flowing therefrom, and the object of myimprovement is to provide a mechanism of high efliciency, few parts andhaving its sliding surfaces removed from the controlledfluid andtherefore capable of being lubricated. This object is attained by theconstruction shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is adiagram showing the type of orifice from which my improved regulatinggate has been developed; Fig. 2 a cross section and Fig. 3 alongitudinal section showing the gate and its relation to the wheel orrunner.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views. I

Fig. 1, shows the form of the jet which issues from an orifice in aplate which has the outer metal cut away to produce a more or less sharpedge. This type of orifice and the resultant jet are fully treated inall complete works on hydraulics, and it is shown that the amount ofcontraction of the jet depends upon the shape and proportions of theparts of the vessel and orifice. It is well known that replacing thewater in the corners at A A with metal produces a less contraction ofthe jet, and that thickening the plate as shown by dotted lines at B B,when done in a manner to permit free access of atmospheric pressure,produces no It will be seen that the water does not touch any part ofthe mechanism after it leaves the inner edge. It also follows, from theprinciples controlling flowing water, that, if the corners A A are notfilled with metal, there will be greater static pressure and thereforegreater tendency to leak at those points than nearer the dischargeopening where the water has more nearly attained its full spoutingvelocity.

My improved regulating gate is a modification or extension of mycontractible noz- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May13, 1911.

Patented May '7, 1912. Serial No. 627,034.

zle for which I filed an application for a patent on Jan. 31, 1911,Serial Number 605,829, the modification consisting of such anarrangement of parts as to allow the application of water around theentire circumference of a water wheel, or to such part of thecircumference as may be desired.

In Figs. 2 and 3, my improved gate is shown as applied to the waterwheel described in my application for a patent, Serial Number 462,882,filed Nov. 16, 1908, but I do not limitit to that particular wheel, butclaim that it is applicable to other water wheels as well.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, G is a conduit through which water issupplied to the orifice D, being directed and guided by the vanes E E,while the circular plates F F, having their inner edges 7" f beveledoutwardly, form the adjustable parts of the gate. It is the movement ofthese plates F F to and from each other, either singly or together,which controls the quantity of water flowing to the wheel, and therebyregulates the amount of power to be developed. Of several means ofeffecting this movement, I have selected for illust-ration a combinationof screw threads G G, connecting the movable plates F F to the fixedrings H H, with gear teeth P P on the movable plates F F and fixedpinions J J operated by the shafts K K. A rotary motion of the shafts KK imparts a rotary 1notion to the plates F F, which, by means of thescrew threads G G, cause the said plates F F to advance or recede asdetermined by the direction of the motion and the character of the screwthreads. After issuing from the orifice D the water enters the buckets LL of the water wheel or runner and imparts motion to it.

As the prime object of this improvement is to prevent, as far aspossible, the tendency to leak along the contact surfaces between theconduit C and the movable plates F F, I fill in the corners R R of theconduit on the side next to the wheel, carrying the dis charge surfacesS S close tothe edges of the movable plates F F when these are spread totheir maximum distance, and having the said discharge surfaces terminateat an abrupt angle to the flow line of the jet. By abrupt angle is meantone which forces the water flowing over the discharge surfaces S S tomake an abrupt turn to conform to the jet flow line, as shown by theouter threads of water in Fig. 1, which show a turn of 90 degrees, whilein Fig. 2 it is somewhat less. t is this change in direction of theouter threads of water which forces the jet to flow clear of the outerparts of the nozzle plates F F. I prefer the curved discharge surfacesshown in Fig.

2, but a limited modification of this shape has no more effect than tochange the shape of the jet. The more nearly the terminating angleapproaches a right angle the less Will be the tendency to leak, butpractical considerations make it necessary to depart somewhat from thisangle and to provide other means of overcoming the slight tendency toleakage.

With the orifice D opened to its widest extent there is only a slighttendency to leak along the surfaces at a between the movable plates F Fand the conduit C, since the water has attained, practically, its fullspouting velocity. As, however, the orifice is closed more and more andits edges recede from the terminating edges of the conduit G, thistendency increases, and, to prevent leakage, packing rings N N areprovided. Lubrication is effected by means of passages reaching thewearing surfaces from gleooutside, a simple form being shown at It isevident that, by partially closing the exit from the conduit C, watermay be applied to any part of the circumference of the water wheel, andthat, under such conditions, the circular plates F F may be made lessthan full rlngs by suitable variations in the operating mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patt-ent, is:

1. In a regulating gate for water Wheels, the combination of acircumferential water conduit having its discharge surfaces disposed atan abrupt angle to the flow line of the jet, with movablecircumferential plates having their inner edges beveled outwardly,substantially as described.

2. In a regulating gate for water wheels, the combination of a waterconduit having its discharge surfaces disposed at an abrupt angle to theflow line of the jet, guide vanes, movable circumferential plates havingtheir inner edges beveled outwardly, and packing placed between saidmovable plates and said conduit, substantially as described.

3. In a regulating gate for Water wheels, the combination of a waterconduit having its discharge surfaces disposed at an abrupt angle to theflow line of the jet, movable circumferential plates having their inneredges beveled outwardly, and means for operating said movable platessingly or together, substantially as described.

l. In a regulating gate for water wheels, the combination of a waterconduit having its discharge surfaces disposed at an abrupt angle to theflow line of the jet, movable circumferential plates having their inneredges beveled outwardly, and means for lubricating the contact faces ofsaid conduit and said movable plates, substantially as de scrlbed.

5. In a regulating gate for water wheels, the combination of a waterconduit having its discharge surfaces disposed at an abrupt angle to theflow line of the jet, movable circumferential plates having their inneredges beveled outwardly, packing placed between said conduit and saidmovable plates, means for operating said movable plates singly ortogether, and means for lubricating the contact surfaces of said conduitand said movable plates, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

SENECA LUGIEN BERRY.

Witnesses ANNA BERRY, JOHN FAULDs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

